NEWS - Wednesday, July 30, 2003
MGL Announces Pro Endorsements
Major League Gaming Announces World’s First Professional Gamer Management & Endorsement Contracts Console Gaming League Makes History as Halo Champ Dustin "Darkman" Langton Becomes the Face of LASR Gaming Accessories Major League Gaming (MLG), the preeminent worldwide console gaming league for professional video game players, has signed international Halo (the best-selling XBox title) champion, Dustin "HP Darkman" Langton to a management contract with the league, a first ever for professional gaming. Also, as an illustration of their commitment to advancing professional gaming, MLG has inked an endorsement deal with Langton to be the spokesman for LASR Accessories, Inc., makers of the GamePak(TM), a console-toting backpack for Xbox(TM), GameCube(TM) and PlayStation(R) 2. "It is MLG’s mission to give our professional gamers the same opportunities available to professional athletes," said MLG Executive Vice President Sundance DiGiovanni. "LASR Accessories shows its insight and dedication to gamers by joining us in this historic venture to support MLG and professional gamers. This is a giant first step in achieving our goal of supporting 100 full-time professional gamers within 5 years." "We are excited that a champion gamer like Dustin has decided to represent LASR and our GamePak line," said Sean Angus, VP Marketing & Product Development. "We are dedicated to supporting professional gamers and feel that the GamePak is the perfect fit for today’s active gamer." "This is a great opportunity to bring gamers and Major League Gaming the attention they deserve," said Langton upon news of his endorsement deal. "I am excited and proud to be helping to get the word out about LASR; they have really shown a commitment to making pro gaming a reality." In one fell swoop, MLG has proven that player management works for gaming while providing a model for future endorsements. Video gaming has seen a steady increase in recent years, with current statistics indicating that there are over 13 million gamers in the US who play over 15 hours per week - the majority being the valuable but hard to reach 18 - 34 demographic group. With its endorsements and events, MLG has created a variety of valuable marketing tools for companies trying to reach an attractive demographic within a strong affinity group. Launched in summer 2003, MLG is the first worldwide "console based" gaming league that allows players of popular gaming systems like PlayStation 2 and Microsoft’s XBox to compete in qualifying events and regional tournaments in 8 of the top US markets. With the goal of reaching as many active gamers as possible, MLG’s regional tournaments will take place in New York City in October, followed by Los Angeles and Chicago. In total 8 of MLG’s 10 events during its first season will be held in top ten markets, within short driving distance of 25% of the country’s population. MLG is actively scouting for professional gamers and plans to announce new management contracts in the upcoming weeks. To learn more about MLG, visit their website at www.mlgpro.com.Source: http://www.xboxaddict.com/
